No. 4 on the Likud Beytenu list Yair Shamir apologizes for criticizing Netanyahu and Liberman, saying he was misunderstood.

Yair Shamir, No. 4 on the joint Likud Beytenu list, apologized on Friday after
criticizing the heads of the two parties.

Early Friday, Shamir said at a
political event in Or Yehuda: “A public figure, including [Yisrael Beytenu
leader and former foreign minister] Avigdor Liberman, that stumbled while
serving in his position, should resign from political life and not serve in the
Knesset. It doesn’t matter if [his crime] carries moral turpitude or
not.”

Liberman was indicted last week for breach of trust and fraud in
the Belarus Ambassador Affair.

Shamir also accused Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu of “zigzagging” in order to please voters.“Two states is not
in the Likud platform. He made the Bar-Ilan speech [in favor of a two-state
solution], which was not approved by Likud institutions or by the Israeli
government at the time, because of external pressures,” Shamir
explained.

Later on Friday, Shamir apologized, saying he was
misunderstood.

“I respect the prime minister, and as I said, he is a
talented and brilliant man,” he stated. “I have no doubt that the Likud Beytenu
list led by Binyamin Netanyahu will form the next government.”